At the recent American Association of Physical Anthropology meetings, a researcher described the foot bones of an 18,000-year-old Indonesian skeleton known as the "hobbit." The tiny hominin would not have walked like we do, he said, and may offer "a window into a primitive bipedal foot."

Geochronologists report on page 500 of this week's issue of Science that they have used variations in Earth's orbit to recalibrate one of their isotopic clocks, bringing it into agreement with the other.

Rather than allow politics to hold sway, the three cities vying to host a €1 billion neutron beam research center called the European Spallation Source will this week submit bids to a specially created, independent panel of "wise people."

Newsmakers

News Focus

By altering the gut's production of hormones, gastric bypass surgery may be able to eliminate type 2 diabetes. But scientists worry that this radical operation can also cause dangerously low blood sugar.

Books

Examining the long history of the engineering of plants in the United States, the author discusses how horticulturalists shaped the landscapes and influenced the activities and experiences of the inhabitants.